Wyrdsong, an upcoming RPG from veteran developers of Bethesda and Obsidian, is now operating with only a minimal team after significant layoffs and a complete redesign of the game's scope.
The project was first announced in 2022 as the debut title from "Something Wicked Games," a studio founded by Fallout 76 lead Jeff Gardiner and Obsidian veteran Charles Staples. Initially conceived as an ambitious open-world RPG set in medieval Portugal with supernatural elements tied to the Knights Templar, the game has faced serious financial hurdles.
According to PC Gamer, the studio's initial $13.2 million seed investment from NetEase proved insufficient for the scale of game they wanted to create. Despite this seemingly substantial funding, developing a large-scale RPG similar to those from Bethesda and Obsidian requires significantly more resources.
"We were making a big open-world RPG," Gardiner explained in his interview. "The way I have learned to do them requires a lot of people to do that, which means a lot of money that was not forthcoming in the industry."
After the initial funding dried up about a year ago, the studio was forced to lay off most of its staff. More recently, the situation has worsened with the departure of co-founder Charles Staples, who has taken a position at Disney, and former Starfield lead quest designer Will Shen, who left to join the studio behind Subnautica.
These financial challenges have forced the team to completely reimagine Wyrdsong. Rather than an expansive open world, the game is now designed around separate zones that are more manageable to develop. The team has also added roguelite elements, which Gardiner notes fit well with the game's themes about "the nature of life and death and what happens when you die."
Despite these significant setbacks, Gardiner remains determined to see the project through. "I've been fortunate to work on a bunch of games, but this is the first game that was really my baby from whole cloth," he said. "So the risk of it never seeing the light of day, it makes me sad. That's why I'm working really hard to make sure that doesn't happen."
The struggles of Something Wicked Games reflect broader challenges in the gaming industry. Many developers had hoped for improved conditions by 2025, adopting the mantra "survive til '25," but Gardiner doesn't see the situation improving in the near future.
"We're just trying to hang on to ride out the storm, which a lot of people thought was going to be over in 2025 and I do not see that reality at all currently," Gardiner stated. "Right now, it's very tough."
For context, over 30 studios have already experienced over 2000 layoffs in just the first two months of this year. Other affected studios include Freejam, Splash Damage, Piranha Games, Jar of Sparks, ProbablyMonsters, Iron Galaxy, and Sumo Group. Most recently Liquid Sword, NetEase Games, and Toast Interactive face job cuts.
Interestingly, Gardiner acknowledges that the success of long-lasting games like Skyrim and Fallout 76—titles he helped create—may contribute to the difficult environment for new games, as players often return to familiar experiences where they've already invested significant time.
For now, Gardiner and his remaining team continue to seek additional funding or publishing deals that would allow Wyrdsong to eventually reach completion, though in a form quite different from its original vision.
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